Office Space Archives - Page 7 of 9 - Rostie & Associates Inc.

Great meetings result in something tangible.

May 29, 2014/0 Comments/in Meeting Rooms, meetings, Office Space, Toronto, video conferencing /by admin

Do you know what it takes to have a great meeting? Or, how not to ruin one?

Making sure that you have certain rules when it comes to the preparing for and running a meeting is critical to ensuring that your team emerges from the meeting room on the way to something valuable and tangible.

“No agenda should include the words information, recap, review, or discussion.

Great meetings often have agendas that are no more than one sentence, like “Determine the product launch date” or “Select software developer for database redesign.”

Information? Share it before the meeting. If I need to make a decision during a meeting, shouldn’t I have the information I need to make that decision ahead of time? Send documents, reports, etc., to participants in advance.

Holding a meeting to share information is unproductive and wastes everyone’s time–it’s lazy.”

Read this really great article about having great meetings here…

Keep your business competitive with good eMarketing

May 26, 2014/0 Comments/in Marketing, meetings, Office Space, Toronto /by admin

Being able to connect with your audience online is important to your business’ survival in the long term.

Maximize Your Google Presence

Google offers many tools to aid small business marketing strategies. Whenever a customer uses Google to search for your product type, you want Google to lead the customer to your business. To appear on Google search, Google Maps, Google + and millions of customers’ mobile devices, you need to list your business with Google Places. Simply sign into your Google account and enter your business information, address, website, etc. Listing your business with Google Places is a completely free service, so be sure list your business as soon as you can.

Read the rest of the original post here…

101 Secrets to Running a Successful Home-Based Business in Toronto

May 23, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, meetings, Office Space, Offices, Startup, Toronto, Virtual Office Toronto /by admin

Originally posted by Sara Wilson

According to the Small Business Administration, more than 50 percent of small businesses are home-based. Home-based businesses offer low overhead, helpful tax incentives, and the opportunity to work in your pajamas, among other benefits. But before you get started, there are some things — 101, to be precise — that you should know about running a company from home. Here is our list of top tips, lessons, pitfalls, and more to get you on your way.

Getting Started

We asked home-based business owners to share their best tips and advice. Here’s what they had to say about organizing a home office, skillfully operating a business from home, and more.

1. Create a work environment you feel good in. And that includes investing in professional office equipment and furniture. “Everyone is vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries from using office equipment,” says Paul Robert Edwards, coauthor of Working From Home as well as a Small Business Development Center consultant. “So take care to get things that fit you ergonomically. Particularly important are your chair and your keyboard.”

2. Keep your overhead to a minimum. “It’s not about how much money you make, it’s about how much you keep, so overhead is key,” says Craig Wolfe, founder of CelebriDucks, a company that creates celebrity rubber ducks. “It’s great that you’re working from home, but you can still bankrupt yourself through ill-conceived overspending, especially in technology.”

3. Create a strong team. “Work with experts on parts of your business where you are not an expert,” says Cathi Brese Doebler, a home-based business owner for 10 years and author of Ditch the Joneses, Discover Your Family. “For example, if you are not good with computer hardware, hire someone to help you set up your computer network. Or, if you are not an expert on taxes, find a good tax advisor. Focus your business on your areas of expertise and strength, and hire experts to help you with your areas of weakness.”

4. Work where you’re most productive, even if it’s outside of your home. “Sometimes home is not the right place and work is not the right place — even when On laptop in the pool they are the same place,” says Stephanie Staples, a personal coach and motivational speaker. “I need a third location. For example, a donut shop, library — somewhere that even though other things are going on, I don’t have to pay attention or care about it. It is the power of the third location; I think differently, work differently, act differently there, and it really helps me.”

5. Work on your business, not in your business. “There’s a big difference between working in your business and working on your business,” says Jeannel King, a visual facilitator and coach, and founder of her own home-based business, Big Picture Solutions. “A home-based business typically translates into being a small operation of one: you! In that situation, it’s easy to focus only on product or service delivery. However, it’s essential to make time to work on our business, and that means focusing on the finances, the marketing plans, the vision and strategy, the systems and processes that provide the infrastructure for our businesses to be not just successful, but thriving and sustainable.”

6. Have the attitude that you work from home, not at home, says Edwards.

7. Don’t hide it, flaunt it! “Don’t try to shy away from the fact that you run your business at home,” says Maria Rapetskaya, cofounder of Undefined Creative, a home-based design and animation studio. “Give your potential clients the rundown of why it benefits them — like low overhead.”

Seven tips for a great home business

May 22, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Office Space, Toronto, Virtual Office Toronto /by admin

Original post by Tony Featherstone

A friend recently asked how I have managed to work from home for so long and stay sane. Good questions. As appealing as it sounds, working from home does not suit everyone. Doing it for years requires discipline, self-awareness and careful planning to avoid key traps.

Comments about working from home usually fall into two categories. Some say a home-based business must be a terrific lifestyle with all that supposed extra time and flexibility. Others ask how you can work from home when there are so many distractions.

Both comments are off the mark. I don’t know too many home-based business owners who have oodles of spare time, unless they are struggling for work. And home distractions are usually the least of your problems when work is busy and deadlines are pressing.

A bigger challenge, in my experience, is maintaining networks, developing new skills, and maintaining energy and enthusiasm. In some ways, the routine of corporate life forces you to develop professionally, and stay productive. In home-based business, it’s all up to you.

Your goal as a home-based business owner should be to build a thriving, profitable venture – and have a great lifestyle at the same time. Or put another way, have more money and more time with family and friends – and for yourself.

You won’t achieve it unless you become super disciplined and productive, are ruthless with your time, and understand the nuances of home-based businesses.

What’s your view?

Do you find it hard to work from home for long periods?
What are the biggest traps when working from home?
What advice could you give others to make the experience more enjoyable?
For those who have worked from home for many years, what has been your biggest learning?

For the record, I still love working from home. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in traffic each day commuting to work, being bound by a 9am to 5pm lifestyle, or wasting time in useless meetings and office politics. But like anything, you have to work at running a home-based business.

As I approach my seventh year of working from home, I have decided to share seven tips so new or prospective home-based business owners can avoid some key traps.

Keep your office space in Toronto organized with these 25 tips

May 20, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Etiquette, Office Space, Offices, Toronto, Urban Design, workspace /by admin

25 Tips to keep your office organized and running smoothly by Janet Taylor

1) Clean out each desk drawer, to free up even more valuable storage space.

2) Clear off the top of your desk, then wipe off the surface of the desktop.

3) Keep essential items on your desktop (computer, phone, fax, card file).

4) If you work with more than one person create an in box for each person.

5) Have a master to-do list for each day at your desk.

6) Pre-Sort the mail. To-File, To-Read, To-Contact(write or call).

7) Use a variety of containers to organize office supplies, paper clips and pens.

8) Use a variety of desktop organizers or trays to organize papers that come across your desk.

9) Create a separate drawer for personal paperwork, items, etc.

10) Use storage boxes to store dated files.

11) Purchase Magazine boxes to store booklets, magazines, catalogs you want to keep.

12) Create a file for magazine articles or scan them into your computer.

13) Filing system should be simple easy and manageable.

14) Color-coding your files makes it faster to find information.

15) Do not over stuff folders. It may be time to toss some of the information in the folder .

16) Never overload filing drawer. It will make it difficult to retrieve information in the drawers.

17) Sub-divide larger files with interior file folders.

18) Tab hanging file folders in the front.

19) Return calls in batches. Leave specific messages and the time you called if the person you’re trying to reach isn’t available.

20) Empty workspace of everything but the project you’re working on to cut down on distractions.

21) Keep an assortment of all-occasion cards and stamps in your desk.

22) Keep takeout menus from favorite restaurants so you can order ahead and pick up dinner on your way home.

23) When using more than one checking account, color coded checks are an easy way to identify each account.

24) At the end of each project or event, organize paperwork and file or store it.

25) Straighten desk at the end of the day and especially at the end of the week so that you can start each morning with a clear desk

Originally posted here…

Tips every startup can use

May 16, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Co Working, Event Space, Marketing, Meeting Rooms, Office Space, Offices, Toronto, Virtual Office Toronto, workspace /by admin

FAST GROWTH IS A GOOD PROBLEM, BUT WITHOUT GUIDELINES AND STRUCTURE, CAN BE A DETRIMENT TO YOUR NEW STARTUP. HERE’S HOW ONE FOUNDER GREW HIS COMPANY, AND WHAT HE LEARNED IN THE PROCESS.

BY MATT EHRLICHMAN

Over the past eight months our company has tripled in size, expanding from 25 employees to 125. During this time we transitioned from working in the basement of my home to a 17,000-square-foot office in Seattle, outgrowing two other temporary spaces in the process.

Growing so rapidly in a short of period time isn’t easy, especially for a young startup, but it was a great experience and learning process. Here are six things we learned during this time of fast growth:

1. YOU ARE PROBABLY OVERLOOKING PARTS OF YOUR BUDGET

It’s crucial to sweat the details and have a very clear understanding of the cash flow curve for your new office. Without a plan, spending can quickly get out of hand.

Take into account both the “people” and the “property” costs surrounding a big move. You must have a clear employee target number and growth timeline. Factor in the costs required to get newcomers hired and up to speed as well.

5 non-digital tips for business growth

May 16, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Co Working, coworking, Marketing, Meeting Rooms, Office Space, Offices, Toronto, Virtual Office Toronto, workspace /by admin

5 NON-DIGITAL TIPS FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

BY Frances Dickens

SMEs are constantly searching for the next technological advancement but digital isn’t the sole driver of business success.

Here are five non-digital tips for growing your business.

1. Stay true to your values

Clients and consumers want to do business with companies whose values they can respect and share in. Work out early what your company’s values are and make sure they underpin everything you do. This includes being prepared to turn business away if you are not 100 per cent certain you can deliver the deal.

Refusing business may seem like madness for a growing company but why compromise your values for the sake of a quick buck? Repeat business and recommendations are real drivers of growth but they come through staying true to your values and remembering that you are only as good as your last deal.

2. Reinvent sectors with a poor reputation

Identifying new areas of growth can be tricky, however, existing sectors such as estate agencies and payday loans are crying out for a fresh approach. Introducing a radically different business model that delivers what customers want is key. We launched Astus in 2003 when media barter had a “dodgy” image because the way it was done left many advertisers out of pocket. We changed the business model to deliver the advertiser’s side of the deal before taking payment. This removed the risk for them and so persuaded some to give our approach a chance. Changing perceptions of a sector involves rebuilding trust one deal at a time but it is possible to do.

Read the rest…

How to be more productive in the meeting room

May 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Co Working, Event Space, Marketing, Meeting Rooms, Office Space, Offices, Toronto, Virtual Office Toronto /by admin

5 TIPS FOR MAKING MEETINGS MORE PRODUCTIVE – Lou Orfanos

Whether taking place over the phone, online or face-to-face, meetings are where deals are made, decisions agreed, and relationships with clients and colleagues strengthened.

Yet, despite offering many benefits, they can also be a big drain on workers’ time if they aren’t managed effectively or organised with a clear purpose.

A study by Epson and the Centre for Economics and Business Research suggests that less than half of the time Brits spend in meetings is actually productive. With the average worker in meetings for four hours a week, the impact of unproductive meetings can be substantial. In the UK, estimates suggest that unproductive meetings could be costing the economy as much as £26bn each year.

Here are five tips for having more productive meetings.

1. Be prepared

As any good businessman will tell you, preparation is the key to success and meetings are no different. Whether you’re attending a weekly catch-up or pitching to a big-name prospect, it’s important to have a back-up plan in place in case the session doesn’t go as expected. For instance, if you are due to give a presentation but your PC won’t turn on, it could be game over, but if your files are saved on a USB stick or stored in the cloud, you can simply switch to another machine.

When presenting, practice really does make perfect. It is well worth taking the time to rehearse what you want to say so that you can see how much time you will need to say it. If you keep running over or find yourself being repetitive, you can cut down on your slides or how long you spend on each item and prioritise the points that you want people to remember.

Marketing tips for small businesses

May 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Co Working, coworking, Marketing, Office Space, Offices, Toronto, Virtual Office Toronto /by admin

BE IMAGE CONSCIOUS AND FLEXIBLE: MARKETING TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. IT IS ESSENTIAL YOU THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT THE IMAGE YOU WANT TO PROJECT AND SPEND TIME ON A MARKETING PLAN – BY JAMES CAAN

Marketing is essential for the success of any business. It doesn’t matter how great the product or service you are offering is if nobody knows about it. You need to market every strand of your business – and that includes yourself.

Businesses are built by people and their success is dependent on the quality of those people. Both you and your employees represent your company so it is essential you think about the image you are projecting. When creating and implementing your marketing plan, it is important to think about your branding and how you want your business to be perceived, both in the short and longer term. Here are my key tips for successfully marketing a small business.

Meeting Room Special: Book One, Get One 50% off

May 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Business, Co Working, Cowork, coworking, Event Space, Events, Marketing, Meeting Rooms, meetings, Office Space, Offices, Toronto, toronto meetings, video conferencing /by admin

After a long and dreary winter, we are ready to celebrate SUMMER. We are excited to be offering a summer special for meeting room reservations.

Book your meeting online with one click!

During July and August, when you book one meeting room, you get the second one for 50% off. Simply book both your meetings at the same time and get 50% off the second one. Please note that the discount is applied to a second meeting reservation of equal or lesser value and does not include catering or AV requirements.

The Rostie Group is Toronto’s premier mid-sized meetings and conference centre and boutique provider of fully furnished personal and shared workspaces including virtual offices, team rooms, workstations, pro and coworking spaces as well as event spaces. Situated at Bay and Queen’s Quay in the city’s thriving south core, our experienced and professional staff are always on hand and dedicated to your business success.

Please feel free to contact our team if you would like to take advantage of this limited time offer or if you have any questions. We can be reached at 416-214-1840 or meetings@rostiegroup.com

1. YOU ARE PROBABLY OVERLOOKING PARTS OF YOUR BUDGET

1. Stay true to your values

2. Reinvent sectors with a poor reputation

1. Be prepared

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